Curtain rod



Oct. 30; 1951 Y o. N. WHITEHEAD V 2,573,078

CURTAIN ROD Filed April 10, 1948 I. INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 30,1951 CURTAIN ROD Oscar N. Whitehead, Wallingford, Conn., assignor to H.L. Judd Company, Wallingford, Conn., a corporation of DelawareApplication April 10, 1948, Serial No. 20,190 I 2 Claims. (Cl. 211-1053)My invention relates to curtain rods and in particular to improved meansin a curtain rod for facilitating the operation of threading a curtainonto the rod.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved device of thecharacter indicated.

It is another object to provide an improved curtain-rod threading meansthat may present only smoothly rounded surfaces to the parts of thecurtain that are being threaded and which may therefore facilitate thethreading operation.

It is a further object to meet the above objects with a simple andrelatively inexpensive construction that may nevertheless besufficiently well reinforced to perform its intended functions in spiteof considerable abuse.

Other objects and various further features of novelty and invention willbe pointed out or will occur to those skilled in the art from a readingof the following specification in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings. Insaid drawings, which show, for illustrative purposes only, apreferred form of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, partly broken-away, front view of an assembledtelescopic curtain rod incorporating features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view from the rear of the inner element orsection of the rod of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the end of the element of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the element of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a side view of the end of the element of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a flat layout of sheet material, suitable for use infabricating the element of Fig. 2.

Briefly stated, my invention contemplates an improved end constructionfor a curtain rod, whereby only rounded and hence non-fouling surfacesmay be presented to a curtain as the curtain is being threaded onto therod. The invention has particular usefulness in connection withtelescoping curtain rods, and in the form to be described, the endconstruction is adapted to the inner element of a two-elementtelescoping curtain rod.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is shown in application to atelescoping curtain rod comprising an outer element or rod section IIIand an inner element or rod section II. Both elements I0II are generallyflat rods of usual generally c-shaped section and may include flat frontfaces (I2, for rod element Ill, and I3, for rod element II). In theouter element Ill reinforcement is obtained from flanges I4 which may begenerally rounded and include rear portions I5 more or less in the planeof a rear face. The flanges I4 may thus provide a generally C-shapedchannel for suitably guiding and supporting the inner rod element II.The general construction of the inner rod element II may be similar tothat of the outer rod element Ill, and is shown to include generallyrounded flanges I6 more or less tangent to the front face I3. Ifdesired, further reinforcement may be provided for the flanges [6 byfolding over and crimping the exposed edges thereof, as shown at I! inFig. 2.

In accordance with the invention, I provide a means for so finishing thetelescoping end of the inner rod element I I that it may be readilythreaded, without snagging, into a curtain. Referring particularly toFig. 6, it will be seen that in a preferred form I so cut away theforward end of the front face I3 that the flanges I6, or at least thematerial used in the rounded part of the flanges I6, may project forwardof the front face, as at the tabs I8. To facilitate the necessarybending operation, I prefer that the outer edges I8 of the tabs I8 becut away from the reinforcement edges I1, so that there need be nobending of the reinforced edge H. The projecting tabs l8 may be bentaround substantially to meet each other and, in a preferred form, toprovide a smoothly rounded front contour for the element II. Not onlyare the tabs I8 preferably bent around to meet each other, but they arealso preferably bent to conform with the same general curvature as thatof the flanges I6. When so bent, the nose or threading end of theelement Il may present a completely rounded and smooth surface, as willbe clear.

To avoid all possibility of snagging a curtain, I prefer that the end orcut-away part of the front face of the threading element II projectforward, as at I9, and that it be of generally rounded contour. Suitablyformed, the projecting part I9 of the front face I3 may be abutting orat least adjacent the rounded flanges I8, as well as being substantiallytangent thereto, and the threading end may be part of a smooth surfaceof revolution about a normal axis, as indicated generally at 20.

It will be appreciated that I have described an ingenious threadingconstruction for particular application to the inner of two telescopingelements of a curtain rod. The construction is such as to provideinherently for its own reinforcement and to present smooth tangentialtransitions from straight or flat surfaces to curved surfaces whe'r'versuch transitions occur.

While I have described my invention in detail for the preferred formshown, it will be understood that modifications may be made within thescope of the invention as defined in the apr front face and extendinglongitudinally beyond l-a said front face and being bent in a smoothcurve to meet each other forward of said front face. 7

2. A curtain-rod section according to claim 1,,

in which the end of said front face is ofgenera'lly rounded contour sothat when said flanges are bent to meet each other they aresubstantially adjacent said front face end throughout and substantiallytangent to said front face end throughout.

OSCAR N. WHITEHEAD.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS "Number Name Date =56-ig723 Yacheron July 28, 18961,019,662- Kroder Mar. 5, 1912 1,686,141 'Blakely Oct. 2, 1928 1,930,996Cuthbert Oct. 1'7, 1933 Auslander Aug. 22, 1939

